Steel cross-tie and rail-fastener.



1No. 315,251. I .PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906. J. AUSTIN & R. MQKENDRIGK.

STEEL cnoss TIE AND RAIL FASTENER'.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.23, 1905.

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:JOEL AUSTIN AND ROBERT MCKENDRIOK, or WINDBER, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEEL CROSS-TIE AND RAlL-FASTENER.

Specification-of Letters Patent.

Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed October 23,1905. Serial No. 284,118-

T on whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOEL AUSTIN and, ROBERT MoKENnRIoK, citizens of theUnited 1 States, residing at Windber, in the county of 'Somerset andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Steel Cross-Ties and Rail-Fasten-- ers; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description'of the invention,such as will enable others'skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to rail fastenings; and its object is to provide atie of peculiar construction having means thereon whereby rails may befirmlyfastened to the tie without use of spikes or other like fasteningmeans, said rails being securely held against spreading orturning.

The invention consists of a tie having hold.-

ing-ears extending from it, said ears being arranged in pairs and eachpair being adapted to receive a rail therebetween. Rail-engaging blocksare engaged by the ears and overlap the base-flanges of the rails, anddisposed upon the inner face of said rails are wedging devices wherebythe rails are securely clamped and held immovably in position.

The invention also consists of certain other novel features ofconstruction and combination of parts, the preferred form whereof willbe hereinafter more clearly set fortn.

In the accompanying drawings we have snown the preferred form of ourinvention.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing rails securedby means of our improved fastening devices. Fig. 2 is a per? spectiveview of a portion of a rail and tie, showing the means for clamping arail in position where a fish-plate is employed. Fig. 3 is a detail viewof a portion of the fish-plate adapted to be used in connection with ourimproved means, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the outerholding-blocks adapted to be used at points where there is no fishlate.

p Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 is a tie,preferably of rolled steel, having its lower surface concave, asshown'at 2, so as to bite into the road-bed and be held againstmovement. Outer ears '3 and inner ears 4 are formed integral with the.tie and extend upward therefrom, and these ears 3 and 4 are arranged inpairs and have their adjoining ends beveled or overhanging. The innerears 4 are provided with bolts 5, which extend therethrough, and thesebolts are adapted to extend through lugs 6, formed at the ends of thewedges.

Two kinds of wedges are utilized, one con.- struction', such as shown at7, being so sh a'ped as to overlap and fit snugly upon the baseflange 8of a rail 9, while the other form 12, which has been shown in Fig. 2,has its inner surface fiat and adapted to abut against the 1 smooth faceof a fish-plate 13, which in turn is so shaped as "to fit snugly uponthe baseflang'e 8 and against the web and head of a rail. The outerfish-plates 14, adapted to be used in connection with this device, areshaped similarly to the fish-plates 1'3, with. the exception thatnotches 15 are formed in their faces at regular intervals, so as to.receive the outer ears 3 of the tie. Holdingblocks 16, similar incontour with outer fishplate 14, engage the outer base-flanges of therails at points where no fish-plates are located, and theseholding-blocks are of the same length as the width of the tie and arelikewise notched, as shown at 17 to receive the outer ears 3. o When itis desired to fasten a rail to a tie, such as herein described, the sameis placed between one set of cars 3 and 4, and a holding-block 16 isthen inserted between the rail and the outer ear 3, so that said earwill rest within the notch 17. As this ear hasa beveled end which partlyoverlaps the block 16, said block will be held against accidentalremoval. After the block 16 has been properly positioned a wedge 7 isinserted between the ear 4 and the rail, and a bolt 5 is projectedthrough lug 6, and a nut 18 is secured thereon. The face of the wedge 7which contacts with ear 4 is beveled to conform with said ear, andtherefore by securing the nut upon the bolt the wedge will be forcedlongitudinally between ear 4 and the rail and will clamp said railtightly between the wedge and the-holding-block 16, and it will beabsolutely impossible to remove the-rail except by first loosening thebolt 5.

Where two-rails come together, their ends are placed between the ears 3and 4 of the tie, and fish-plates 13 and 14 are then inserted 3 betweensaid ears and the rails, and the notches 15 are located so as to receivethe ears 3. The fish-plates are then bolted to the rails, after whichwedges 12 are inserted between the inner fish-plate 13 and the adjoiningears 4, and these wedges are tightened by means of the bolts 5 engagingtheir IIO lugs 6. The contacting faces of the wedges 12 and fish-plate13 are beveled, so that the wedges partly overlap the fish-plate, and

therefore it will be seen that when the wedges 12 are tightened in themanner described the rails and fish-plates are firmly clamped betweenthe ears 3 and 4, and it becomes absolutely impossible for any of theparts to get loose unless the bolts 5 are first detached.

It will of course be understood that where fish-plates are employed thewedges 12 must be of less thickness than where there are no fish-plates,and this difference in size will be noticed by comparing the wedges 7and 12.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a tie having ears extending therefrom, ofrail-engaging means adapted to be engaged by one of the ears, a

wedge to be engaged by the other ear, and means for adjusting the wedgeand looking it to its ear, said wedge and engaging means adapted to bedisposed at opposite sides of the rail.

2. The combination with a tie having ears extending therefrom, of arail-engaging de vice adapted to be engaged by one of the ears, a wedgeengaging the other ear and adapted to clamp the rail between the ears,and means engaging the wedge for adjusting and looking it. i

3. The combination with a tie having ears thereon, of a rail-engagingdevice engaged by one of the ears, a wedge engaged by the other ear andadapted to clamp the rail between the ears, a lug extendlng from thewedge, and means extending through the lug and from the ear engagin thewedge for adjusting the wedge and coking it against movement.

4. The combination with a tie having ears thereon, of engaging devicesinterposed between the ears and adapted to engage opposite sides of therail, one of said devices being engaged by one of the cars, a wedgeinterposed between the other device and the other ear, and means foradjusting the wedge and looking it against movement.

5. The combination with a tie having ears thereon provided withoverhanging ends, of rail-engaging devices inter osed between the earsand ada ted to recelve a rail therebetween, one 0 said devices beingnotched to receive an ear and adapted to be overlapped by said ear, awedge interposed between the other ear and the other engaging device,said wedge overlapping the engaging device contacting therewith, andmeans for adjustably securing the wedge and the adjoining ear.

6. The combination with a tie having ears thereon, of a bolt extendingfrom one of the ears, a wedge interposed between the ears and adapted toclamp a rail therebetween, and a lug upon the wedge and adjustablysecured upon the bolt.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOEL AUSTIN.

ROBERT MOKENDRIOK.

Witnesses:

ANDREW ZEMANY, GEORGE J. HUDAKY.

